OUTDOOR MISTAKES: Rounding out the top-10 ‘don’t do’ list

Always invest in a design for your space first. A good landscape design will not only list all of the plants for your space, it will also help you plan your renovations and manage your budget properly. (CARSON ARTHUR)

This week I am wrapping the top 10 biggest mistakes homeowners make when it comes to their outdoor spaces. If you missed numbers three-10, I covered items like second-storey decks, red mulch, cedar hedges and backyards for children.

As a result, I’ve had so many emails and comments from readers that clearly I hit a nerve. For the most part, everyone seems to agree that they wish they had known this information before they made the costly decision to renovate.

No. 2

This leads directly into my top two mistakes people make when renovating their outdoor spaces. Coming in at number two is the misconception that landscaping is the same as gardening when it comes to the value of your investment. Gardening is all about the plants and using plants to create visual interest.

Adept gardeners can create impressive displays of colour and interest that can definitely add value to a home.

Landscaping includes plants and gardens, but landscaping also encompasses the manipulation of land and useable space. Landscaping includes things like outdoor kitchens, walkways, patios, decks, fences, water features and shade structures. As a result, landscaping costs are, on average, significantly higher than the costs involved with putting in a garden.

So often homeowners set their budgets based on numbers associated with gardening and not with the true expense for landscaping. When pricing an outdoor renovation for my clients, the landscaping costs are often 10 times more than the plant budget.

No. 1

Before you start any outdoor work, do your pricing first and always work from a plan — which is the No. 1 mistake that homeowners make when doing outdoor renovations.

Spring is the one season that is the most dangerous for the outdoor DIYer. We rush off to the garden centres, excited to start planting, and get sucked into buying trees, plants and shrubs because they look good in the store. This is a huge pitfall because these living focal points have the nasty habit of growing and changing as they adapt to the spots we plant them in. Instead of falling into this trap, always invest in a design for your space first. A good landscape design will not only list all of the plants for your space, it will also help you plan your renovations and manage your budget properly. Even if you don’t have a huge amount saved for doing everything all at once, you should an idea of what you want for your dream oasis. Then, as you have time and financial opportunity, you know where to be investing it.

Having an amazing outdoor space shouldn’t be intimidating if you know the problems to avoid. There is definitely a learning curve when it comes to any type of home improvements. Whether you choose to do the work yourself or hire a professional, make sure to do your research first so that you don’t end up on my next top-10 list.